Jump Scares & the Startle Reflex

Jump Scares & the Startle Reflex | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 5 February 2026 V1 Latest version Share on Jump Scares & the Startle Reflex Authors : Elizabeth A.M. Acosta 0009-0009-8497-1587 [email protected] and David R.W. Sears Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.177027492.21995764/v1 317 views 107 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Colloquially, jump scares refer to sudden, frightening audiovisual events (or stingers ) in horror-film threat scenes that elicit reactions from filmgoers. Jump scares have undoubtedly become commonplace in modern horror films, yet the literature related to the psychophysiological behaviors elicited during scenes with jump scares remains surprisingly sparse. This registered report will examine whether the startle reflex (SR) is modulated by complex aesthetic stimuli (i.e., film scenes) and the strength of participants’ expectations based on a schematic model of jump scares containing four stages: the film’s baseline audiovisual levels, the anticipation of a jump scare, the jump scare itself, and the return to baseline (Acosta & Sears, 2026). Psychophysiological features associated with the defense cascade (heart rate, skin conductivity, SR) and emotional indicators of fear (facial muscle activation) will be measured from 60 participants exposed to film scenes presented in three modalities ( audio only , video only , audiovideo ), and will either include all schematic stages ( conventional ), exclude the stinger stage ( abandoned stinger ), exclude the anticipation stage ( unprompted stinger ), or will not include any threat-scene stages ( control ). The results of this report will examine whether audience expectations can potentiate and/or inhibit the SR in the context of jump scares in horror films. Supplementary Material File (psychophys_2026_rr1.docx) Download 86.12 KB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 05 February 2026 Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Authors Affiliations Elizabeth A.M. Acosta 0009-0009-8497-1587 [email protected] Texas Tech University View all articles by this author David R.W. Sears Texas Tech University View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 317 views 107 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Elizabeth A.M. Acosta, David R.W. Sears. Jump Scares & the Startle Reflex. Authorea . 05 February 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.177027492.21995764/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . Format Please select one from the list RIS (ProCite, Reference Manager) EndNote BibTex Medlars RefWorks Direct import Tips for downloading citations document.getElementById('citMgrHelpLink').addEventListener('click', function() { popupHelp(this.href); return false; }); $(".js__slcInclude").on("change", function(e){ if ($(this).val() == 'refworks') $('#direct').prop("checked", false); $('#direct').prop("disabled", ($(this).val() == 'refworks')); }); View Options View options PDF View PDF Figures Tables Media Share Share Share article link Copy Link Copied! Copying failed. 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